The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has instructed relevant authorities to ensure that ongoing investigations into the Anuradhapura child abuse case proceed strictly in line with court orders and has called for forensic and medical reports to be obtained without delay, Newswire reported.
At a meeting held in Parliament on 5 June and chaired by Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj, the caucus directed the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) to monitor proceedings in the Anuradhapura, Attanagalla and Dambulla courts. Members also urged that measures be taken to minimise the repeated trauma the child victim experiences as a result of multiple hearings across separate jurisdictions.
The session brought together officials from the Attorney General’s Department, the NCPA, the Department of Probation and Child Care Services and the Sri Lanka Police. The Attorney General’s Department agreed to appear before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court to strengthen judicial processes and improve coordination among institutions, while the Department of Probation and Child Care Services was tasked with continuing to safeguard the girl’s education, health and safety.
The caucus also resolved to develop guidelines for media reporting and judicial proceedings to protect the privacy, security and dignity of child victims. A subcommittee under the caucus will oversee that process and address legal and practical challenges in child abuse litigation, and the body said it would intervene where necessary to ensure effective coordination among law enforcement agencies handling such cases.
The June 5 directives follow the caucus’s 25 May appointment of a subcommittee to oversee future legal proceedings in the case, which has been the country’s most closely watched child protection matter since the arrest of the Anuradhapura Atamasthanadhipathi over the alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl. The senior monk was granted bail on 22 May and the Malwathu Chapter suspended his clerical functions on 30 May.
